Xian H-6

History of Xi'an H-6

Until the 1960s, Communist China maintained close military and political ties with the Soviet Union. As a result, the technology was passed on to a thriving China, which benefited from various weapons designed and developed by the Soviet Union. It was this relationship that laid the foundation for the establishment and development of the Chinese military that we are witnessing today. One of these genius technical products became the Tupolev Tu-16 series of strategic bombers - recognized by NATO as "Badgers".

The Tu-16 was introduced to the Soviet Air Force in 1954 and operated until 1993 before being retired. The most important operators in this category include Egypt, Indonesia and Iraq, with about 1,500 prototypes produced. The Chinese, in turn, received their first Tu-16 airframe in 1958.

The first Tu-16 of the Chinese Air Force flew the following year as the "H-6".

China's participation in the Tu-16 production line after the two regional powers reached an agreement to further the company's production guidance work. Local production of the Tu-16 began in 1968. Although sources vary, at least 160 are locally produced, and a total of 180 are suspected. Production continued into the 1990s, when its use was largely replaced by emerging missiles and missile technology elsewhere.

Regardless, at the time of writing (2013), the PLA Air Force currently manages a healthy inventory of about 120 H-6 bombers. Egypt and Iraq became the only foreign operators of the H-6, which were either eliminated (Egypt, 2000) or destroyed (Iraq, 1991 Gulf War).

China is introducing the H-6 into its air force (about 80) and navy (about 30) inventory.

The original Chinese H-6 operating brand was simply referred to as "H-6". These were conventional bombers copied directly from the Soviet Tu-16 bomber with little added flair. The example is powered by two in-house Xian WP8 series turbojets, each delivering 20,900 pounds of thrust.

That brings a top speed of 656 mph and a cruising speed of nearly 480 mph. The range is about 3,700 miles, and the listed combat radius is 1,100 miles. The airframe can handle 42,000 feet of service ceiling. Internal ammunition may be as high as 20,000 pounds of conventional throwing ammunition.

The next prominent H-6 production brand is H-6A, which adds the all-important nuclear transport and release capability, making China a major player in the Asia-Pacific region. The H-6B became an improved reconnaissance platform based on a conventional bomber design, albeit with the expected specialized equipment. The H-6C base bomber variant had improved countermeasure facilities, while the H-6D provided support for the C-601 (later C-301 and C-101) anti-ship missiles for maritime patrols and was more powerful than the B-6D . The H-6E was an upgraded nuclear bomber introduced in the 1980s, while the upgraded H-6A and H-6C airframes belonged to the updated and upgraded (with GPS, Doppler, inertial) H-6F designation drop. The H-6G is an unarmed data relay platform for use with launched cruise missiles, introduced in the 1990s.

The H-6H received two cruise missile support hardpoints and appeared in the same decade as the H-6G variant. The H-6M is an advanced four-clamp cruise missile launch platform with enhanced terrain-following radar facilities, currently in service at the time of writing (2013). The HD-6 is a dedicated Electronic Warfare Aircraft (EWA) platform equipped with an extensive tracking and sensor suite, advanced Electronic Countermeasures (ECM), and is identified by its rugged nose assembly.

The most modern H-6 variant is the H-6K, featuring an improved air intake, a new cockpit, a rugged radar-encased nose, and an upgraded Soloviev D-30Kp series low-bypass turbofan engine - with Ilyushin IL-62M powered Soviet-Russian design of the same/IL-76 and Tupolev Tu-154M transporters installed.

Like many other strategic bombers, outdated in bombing raids, the H-6 enjoyed a longer life as an aerial tanker (similar to the post-bombing role the British nuclear bomber Vickers Valiant played for the RAF) . The original models were designated "HY-6" and conveniently retained their full combat capabilities. This led to the subsequent streamlined HY-6U series and solid HY-6D production brand (which evolved from the H-6D bomber brand).

Another tanker variant became the HY-6DU series, which is in service with the Chinese Air Force and is based on the further developed HY-6D variant.

For now, the Xi'an H-6 Force remains an active part of China's military operations, and will be deployed in full force in the event of a full-scale war with its neighbors or the West. Although the H-6 family of aircraft has been largely obsoleted by modern technology and traces its origins to 1950s policy, the Chinese military still has access to a large number of useful aircraft, providing enough for advancing land targets and naval navigation fallback solution. war zone.

Modifications to the H-6's base system simply expand the product range of the original aircraft and keep the H-6 as a viable battlefield tool in 2013. However, it is undeniable that compared to modern products, the aircraft of this series have exceeded their intended use and retained many design constraints.

It offers few hidden features and its performance is considered reasonable.

Specification

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AVICopter AC311 History

With China's massive industrial growth in recent decades, its defense industry has flourished with a range of ongoing projects and many more on the horizon. No longer content with being a military purchaser (primarily from the Soviet Union/Russia), its military-industrial complex has taken on exceedingly more complex programs - from Fifth generation fighter aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to full-fledged Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) and infantry assault weapons.

AVICopter, a state-owned defense concern with origins as far back as 1951, began work on a new light helicopter design in 2009 which has become the AC311 product today.

The foundation for the AS311 program was formed decades before when Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC) began illegally copying the French Aerospatiale/Eurocopter AS350 "Ecureuil" (meaning "Squirrel") as the "Z-11". The original French design was developed in the 1970s and introduced during 1975 before entering service with a plethora of global operators including Australia, Brazil, and Jordan. Work on a more localized version - the Z-11 - was started in China in 1989 and development eventually produced a workable system which first flew in late 1994.

Introduction was in 1998 to which several versions of this light design eventually emerged for military service - including an armed, light attack platform.

From this work then blossomed the modern AC311 series, its appearance not unlike the lines regularly encountered in light-class French helicopters. The aircraft features a largely glassed frontal section for excellent vision out of the cockpit. A small cabin area is situated aft of the cockpit and under the single engine installation found along the cabin roof. The tail stem originates from a low part of the cabin body and houses a shaft used to drive a tail rotor affixed to the starboard side of the vertical tail fin. The main rotor is a three-bladed assembly.

As only one engine is featured in the design, only a single jet pipe is seen over the tail stem. First flight was in 2011. The engine is an American Honeywell LTS101-700D-2 turboshaft driving the three-bladed main rotor and two-bladed tail rotor.

The AC311 program has since evolved by way of a new engine installation, a revised main rotor, and improved flight controls which has produced the AC311A variant. The mark also includes largely Chinese avionics and comes in some 100lbs heavier than the original model.

Development of the new mark began in August of 2013 and the engine of choice became the French Turbomeca Arriel 2B1A turboshaft (based on a 2011 agreement between the French engine maker and AVIC). First flight of the AC311A was announced in August of 2014.

The AC311 has achieved certification in China (2012) and dozens of the aircraft are said to be on order for AVIC.

AVICopter AC311 Specification

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